In 1987, not long after she earned her PhD in clinical psychology, Dr. Nancy Bohl-Penrod was called to Cayucos, California, the site of the crash of Pacific Southwest Airlines flight 1771, to debrief and counsel the first responders to the scene. This was to be the first of many such incidents, including shootings, natural disasters, and hostage situations, to which Dr. Nancy Bohl-Penrod would be called to debrief victims and first responders. Among these disasters were Hurricane Andrew in Florida, the bombing of the federal office building in Oklahoma City, a Unabomber incident, the shootings at Columbine High School, and the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, DC, in 2001.